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President Obama grants Christmas clemency to almost 100 prisoners Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro A m e r i c a n Newspaper By Zenitha Prince (TriceEdneyWire.com) - Christmas came early to 97 felons granted commutations and pardons by President Barack Obama Dec. 18, 2015. Most of the prisoners were behind bars for non-violent drug-related offenses: at least 74 of the 95 commutations involved possession or distribution of either crack or cocaine, nine involved only methamphetamine, five involved only marijuana, and five others involved unspecified drugs. Another two of the commutations were for non-drug-associated crimes: one involving armed bank robbery and another involving possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The President also used his constitutional power to grant pardons to an Ohio physician convicted of counterfeiting in 2002 and a New Kent, Va., woman convicted of aiding and
abetting bank fraud. The commutations were the third set President Obama has given this year and the most awarded at one time. In all, this administration has granted 184 commutations, which exceeds the total grants by the previous six presidents combined. The commutations are part of the White House’s clemency initiative – launched in 2014 – which reflects President Obama’s commitment to criminal justice reform, including parity in sentencing.
Civil and human rights groups hailed the move. “American presidents have had the power to show mercy since the founding of our Republic. President Obama is the first president in decades to use it as the founders intended,” said Julie Stewart, president and founder of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, in a statement. “For that reason, we commend him for showing more mercy than his predecessors. But his work is not done…. Far too many others are still serving
excessively long sentences that should be commuted as well.” Under the clemency initiative, qualified federal prisoners were encouraged to apply to have their sentences commuted. But of the 36,000 offenders that have applied, fewer than 200 have received clemency in the past two years, according to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, which helped coordinate the efforts of attorneys who have been working pro bono to assist those prisoners. The group is calling on the administration to intensify its efforts and is also charging Congress to play its part in reforming the nation’s racially unjust criminal justice system, including its archaic, counterproductive sentencing laws. “Legislation to reform these laws have drawn unprecedented bipartisan support, such as the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015, S. 2123, passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee in October,” said Jon Greenbaum, chief counsel for the Lawyers’ Committee, in a statement. “The House Judiciary Committee passed a similar bill reforming federal sentencing laws in November. Both chambers need to bring these bills to the floor as soon as possible in 2016.”
Our Christmas wish for all is PEACE that surpasses all understanding “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder...” (Isaiah 9:6) By Bobby R. Henry, Sr. We… Pray for those who are suffering to have no more pain. For those that were once hated, and despised we pray for respect. Where wars and the threat of war prevail, allow these clashes to be resolved with tranquility and admiration. We pray for Equality to be the goal of all society; understanding that the outcome when anyone is unjustly treated will lead to the unmerited management of all. When everyone has enough to eat, sufficient shelter, good health care, gainful employment, adequate clothing and supplied with an equal and excellent opportunity for education, we all benefit from being forbearing fairly. Atonement comes in many forms, and for one to move forward and to be freed from something done of a wrong, an amends must be made. Not zeroing in on who was right or who was wrong. Atoning means owning up and correcting what you did erroneous and no longer walking on the dark side of one’s selfishness. We pray that the eternal wars of self-hate are over and the light shines upon everyone that has been affected by the darkness of a cold and evil heart and its destruction that hide in its shadows. (Cont'd on Page 10)
FAMU names new Dean of the College of Education
Labor of love: Family improves lives of people with special challenges Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Richmond Free Press (TriceEdneyWire.com) Helping those in the special needs community is a way of life for the Mines family of Chesterfield County, Va. Through advocacy efforts and by organizing programs designed to showcase the talents of those in the special needs community, the Mines family seeks to improve the quality of life for people with mental and physical disabilities and other special challenges. It’s a labor of love for the tight-knit family of five that has two children with special needs. The mother, Pam, is founder and executive director of the nonprofit JP JumPers Foundation that she named after her 11-year-old son, J.P. who is autistic and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The Chesterfieldbased organization seeks to “positively impact families affected by autism, special needs and unique circumstances,” according to its website. Mrs. Mines was honored for her advocacy for the disabled
and for her work to get a bill passed by the General Assembly two years ago known as “J.P.’s Law,” after her son, that would allow DMV Virginia to add a code to driver’s licenses and other IDs to help law enforcement officers be aware of an individual’s diagnosis. She and her husband, Perry, also care for their adopted 13year-old god niece, Sydnee, who has neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder of the nervous system, as well as ADHD and is blind in her left eye. They adopted the honor roll student in 2010, after her mother died from complications related to neurofibromatosis. The Mines’ 13-year-old daughter, Michelle, is typically developed with no special needs. Mr. Mines fuels his desire to help others by mentoring atrisk youths through his company, Luv’em Like Mines Youth Services in Chesterfield County. The Third Annual Christmas Special Needs Worship Service was held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015 at a local high school. There, in an array of performances that evoked tears and cheers from audience members, children and adults
Pleading Our Own Cause
Traki L. Taylor, Ph.D., has been named the new Dean of the FAMU College of Education and will begin her post in January 2016.
United by love and wearing their JP JumPers Foundation Santa hats, the Mines family gets into the holiday spirit at their Chesterfield County home. The family, from left, mother, Pam Mines; 11-year-old son, J.P.; adopted god niece, Sydnee, 13; daughter, Michelle, 13; and father, Perry Mines. (Photo: Sandra Sellars ) with special needs ranging from autism and cerebral palsy to Down’s Syndrome and intellectual disabilities sang, danced, displayed art, played the piano and guitar and even preached a Word from the Lord. Mrs. Mines said she and her family pour their hearts and souls into the effort “because we want to celebrate an often overlooked community. We don’t think it’s a punishment, an accident or a curse to be af-
WWW.
fected or have a loved one affected by special needs. We consider it a true appointment by God and we take it seriously. The bottom line is I’m so glad God chose me to be inspired by a child with autism.” She said the faith-based service is designed to be welcoming to all performers and includes a wide array of acts for the audience to enjoy. (Cont'd on Page 11)
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Today, Provost Marcella David announced Traki L. Taylor, Ph.D., as the new dean of the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) College of Education. Taylor will begin her post in January 2016. Taylor currently serves as dean and professor of education in the College of Education at Bowie State University in Bowie, Md. Prior to her role as dean at Bowie, Taylor served as associate dean of the School of Education and Human Services (SEHS) at the University of Michigan-Flint, where she previously served as the associate chair of the Education Department and director of Diversity Projects. Commenting on her appointment, Taylor said, “I am honored to be selected as the next dean of the FAMU College of Education. The College of
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Education is among the top producers of African-American educators in Florida and is considered the cornerstone college of the University. I look forward to building upon and strengthening that rich legacy.” Taylor was selected after a national search conducted in partnership with Greenwood/ Asher & Associates, Inc. At Bowie, Taylor is credited with creating an environment that has supported student and faculty efforts, and creating a culture of assessment in the College of Education and across the university. She has also served on multiple national educational associations including the board of directors of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. Dean George Acquaah, Ph.D., of the Bowie University College of Arts & Sciences, praised Taylor for “leading by example and encouraging her colleagues to follow suit.” Provost David noted Taylor’s exemplary leadership at Bowie and the University of Michigan. She cited her experience in generating funded research as well as supporting faculty research efforts and her focus on assessment and outcomes as important to what she will bring to the FAMU deanship. “Dean Taylor is exactly what the FAMU College of Education needs at this moment in the higher education landscape. I look forward to continued growth and innovation from the College under her leadership, as well as the role she will play in bolstering the FAMU Developmental Research School,” David said. (Cont'd on Page 11) MEMBER: National Newspaper Publishers Association ( NNPA), and Southeastern African-American Publishers Association (SAAPA) Florida Association of Black Owned Media (FABOM)
Page 2 • December 24 - December 30, 2015
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Suspended Br owar d Sheriff ed in court M onday morning for a Browar oward Sheriff’’s Deputy Peter Peraza appear appeared Monday hearing to rrequest equest pr eser vation of grand jur y pr oceedings that rresulted esulted in his manslaughter char ge preser eservation jury proceedings charge Backed by a showing of brotherhood of the badge, a Broward Sheriff’s deputy charged with manslaughter for an onduty shooting made his first court appearance Monday morning in a courtroom packed to standing-room only. With no room to seat them all in the courtroom, dozens of supportive law enforcement officers spilled into the hallway to show solidarity with the first Broward County cop in 35 years to face a charge for an on-duty killing. They had gathered for a procedural motion filed by Deputy Peter Peraza’s lawyer to preserve the testimony, transcripts and minutes of the grand jury that indicted the father of four on a charge of manslaughter. The first-degree felony carries
a penalty of up to 30 years in prison. In a charcoal suit and a spring green tie, the 37-yearold suspended deputy entered the courtroom clasping hands with his wife, Melinda. His parents, Gilbert and Elizabeth, were also at his side. “I’m skeptical about the process with the climate that’s going on right now. I want to try to make sure that everything’s on the up and up, that’s all,” said Peraza’s lawyer, Eric Schwartzreich. “It is a difficult thing and it is an uphill battle to get grand jury testimony because of the secrecy of the process.” Prosecutor Al Ribas told the judge it was unnecessary to seek preservation of the grand jury proceedings because they are usually sealed and sent to
Suspended Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Peter Peraza, followed by his attorney Eric Schwartzreich, leaves court after a procedural hearing before Judge Michael Usan on Monday, Dec. 21, 2015, at the Broward County Courthouse. Peraza has been charged in the July 2013 on-duty fatal shooting of Jermaine McBean who had been carrying an air rifle.
FD FDAA eases restrictions on blood donations from gay men By Jim Karczewski Post-Tribune Federal health officials are lifting the nation’s 32-year-old lifetime ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, but major restrictions will continue to limit who can donate. The Food and Drug Administration announced Monday it will replace the blanket ban with a new policy barring donations from men who have had sex with a man in the previous year. While the one-yearban has been criticized by activists it matches policies in other countries, including Australia, Japan and the U.K. Gay rights activists said the new policy is a “step in the right direction,” but falls short. “It continues to stigmatize gay and bisexual men,” said David Stacy, of the Human Rights Campaign, the largest U.S. gay rights group. “It simply
cannot be justified in light of current scientific research and updated blood screening technology.” Monday’s policy shift was first announced in late 2014 and followed years of outreach by medical groups and gay rights groups who said the blanket ban no longer made sense. FDA officials signaled their agreement Monday, saying in a statement the change is “backed by sound science and continues to protect our blood supply.” The lifetime ban was put in place during the early years of the AIDS crisis and was intended to protect the blood supply from what was a then littleunderstood disease. But many medical groups, including the American Medical Association, argued that the policy was no longer supported by science, given advances in HIV testing. All U.S. blood donations are
screened for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. But there is a roughly 10-day window between initial infection and when the virus can be detected in the bloodstream. The American Red Cross estimates the risk of getting an HIV-positive blood donation is 1 in 1.5 million for U.S. patients. About 15.7 million blood donations are collected in the U.S. each year. In 2006 the Red Cross, the American Association of Blood Banks, and America’s Blood Centers called the ban “medically and scientifically unwarranted.” The FDA concluded that moving to a one-year abstinence requirement would not change the safety of the U.S. blood supply, based on data from Australia and other sources. On the current blood donor questionnaire, men are asked if they have ever had sex with
another man since 1977— the start of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. Potential donors who answer positively are barred from donating blood. The new questionnaire, as outlined by the FDA, would ask men if they have had sex with another man in the last 12 months. Associated Press
the Broward Clerk of Courts for indefinite safe keeping anyway. Circuit Court Judge Michael Usan said he had no problem granting the motion. He also approved requests to preserve Peraza’s grand jury testimony, as well as all 911 calls and dispatch communications recorded during the July 31, 2013 shooting of Jermaine McBean, 33. Peraza and two other deputies had gone to the Green Tree apartments on Dixie Highway in response to a man seen with a gun. There they encountered McBean carrying an unloaded air rifle he had just bought at a pawn shop. According to Peraza, McBean ignored commands to drop the weapon, turned and took aim. Peraza fired three times. A witness photo that surfaced 22 months after the fatal shooting showed McBean dead on his back with earbuds in his ears. The computer systems engineer’s family says the photo supports its contention that McBean did not hear commands to drop the rifle. After hearing three days of testimony, the grand jury reached its decision to indict Dec. 10. Police-involved shooting cases generally take a minimum of two to three years to get presented to a grand jury which determines whether it was a legal use of deadly force. Peraza turned himself in at the Broward Main Jail a day after the indictment and was released on $25,000 bond the same day. Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, per agency policy, immediately suspended Peraza without pay. Looking focused and stoic, Peraza said not a word to the judge or reporters covering the controversial case. When he emerged from the courtroom
Top U. S. Senate staff has few Blacks
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from NorthStarNewsToday.com By Frederick H. Lowe (TriceEdneyWire.com) The U.S. Senate has been called the world’s greatest deliberative body, but it’s not very diverse and neither is its top senate staff when it comes to AfricanAmericans, according to a report published by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank for Black elected officials. The 30-page study, titled “Racial Diversity among Top Senate Staff,” reports that of the 336 top senate staffers— chiefs of staff, legislative directors and communications directors in the Washington, D.C., personnel office of U.S. Senators and staff directors assigned to committees—only three African-Americans hold any one of these 336 top positions, only 0.8 percent, although Blacks comprise 13 percent of the U.S. population, according to the report. Spencer Overton, president of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, said U.S. Senate staff positions are key
because they have role in shaping issues like federal budgets, education, workforce, immigration, sentencing, federal confirmations and countless other matters. The study reported there are one Black chief of staff, zero legislative directors, and one communications director out of 297 positions in the 114th Congress. Whites control 276 of the 297 positions. The study notes that AfricanAmericans represent from 17 percent to almost 28 percent of the populations of Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, yet Blacks hold only 1.7 percent of the top total staff positions in these states’ U.S. Senate offices. Blacks hold one position in South Carolina, which has two Republican U.S. Senators—Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham– the report said. Incidentally, members of the U. S. Senate also lack in diversity. Currently the Senate has three Blacks out of 100 senators - more than ever before in history at any one time. Previously, there were six Black U. S. senators to have served; totaling only nine throughout history. The report only focused on top Senate staff in Washington, D.C., although some Senators employ Blacks as home-state directors. A decade ago, Diversity Inc. declared the Senate the worst employer for diversity hiring, even worse than the nation’s 50 largest corporations.
Jermaine McBean is shown in this family photo, someone yelled out: “Deputy Peraza, we’ve got your back!” Applause erupted and turned into rhythmic and sustained chant-like clapping. Peraza, on the receiving end of hearty handshakes and earnest embraces, thanked his supporters solemnly and individually. Positioned in front of a TV camera and microphones outside of court, Schwartzreich, hired by the Police Benevolent Association union, struck an indignant tone. “My client was doing his job, nothing more, nothing less. My client’s innocent.” Schwartzreich lamented what he called the sad, unfortunate and tragic death of McBean, but emphasized “you don’t walk down our streets with a rifle and you don’t point it at law enforcement officers.” More thundering applause echoed through the courthouse hallways. Outnumbered by the dozens, three members of the Black Lives Matter Alliance of Broward County quietly skirted the crowd, offering handouts stating “I support convicting Peter Peraza.” “We’re here today in solidarity with the family of Jermaine McBean,” said Didier Ortiz, 23. “I think it’s healthy that now in our county police are slowly being held account-able for actions of racial profiling and police brutality.” Monday was law -’s day to draw a crowd and “put on a show,” Didier said. But come trial, that would be the time for Black Lives Matter and other like-minded organizations to turn out and make a stand, he said. Peraza’s next court date will be his arraignment hearing on Jan. 6. By Tonya Alanez•Contact R e p o r t e r tealanez@tribpub.com, (954) 356-4542 or Twitter @talanez
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Old Dixie Highway renamed in honor of President Obama in Riviera Beach Riviera Beach renamed Old Dixie Highway in its city limits in honor of the sitting president during a ceremony Dec. 17, 2015. Riviera Beach renamed Old Dixie Highway in honor of President Barack Obama during a ceremony on Thursday, a change that city officials say will help move the community past its segregated history. It is the second road in Palm Beach County to be named in honor of the 44th president, county officials said. Two years ago, Pahokee in western Palm Beach County renamed East First Street to Barack Obama Boulevard. A crowd cheered as a crew lowered the Old Dixie Highway street sign in Riviera Beach and raised one bearing the sitting President’s name: President Barack Obama Highway. “We are stepping up to a new day, a new era, and replac-
ing Old Dixie with Barack Obama, who represents change,” Riviera Beach Mayor Thomas Masters told Sun Sentinel news partner WPEC-Ch. 12. The City Council voted in August to change the highway’s name inside the city limits. The first intersection of roads named after Obama and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will be in Riviera Beach, city officials say. Some speakers at that August Council meeting didn’t think the street name Old Dixie was a good representation of the city. “The name Old Dixie does not align in any way with the goal of racial and social equality,” Kendra Williams, a Riviera Beach resident, said during the meeting. “Let’s just move forward and move on, because it’s time.” Other thoroughfares elsewhere have been recently nam-
ed in honor of presidents, said Sean MacDonald, addressing technician for Palm Beach County. In 1998, the Florida Legislature designated the Florida Turnpike the Ronald Reagan Turnpike.
Delray Beach renamed Northeast Eighth Street in honor of George H.W. Bush during the early 1990s. sswisher@tribpub.com, (561)243-6634 or @SkylerSwisher-- By Skyler Swisher, Sun Sentinel
Riviera Beach renamed Old Dixie Highway.
Chi Psi Omega Chapter recognizes community agencies/organizations for impact Chi Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Coral Springs, recently celebrated and honored its partners in a special ceremony. This is an annual event. The chapter partnered, set up “Team Chi Psi Omega Chapter” web pages and provided on-line donations for “Pink Goes Red” (American Heart Association), garnering $500. The chapter also partnered with the City of North Lauderdale staff wearing red in honor of the event. Pink Goes Red is one of six service impact days for AKA internationally. Moreover, through web page setups and on-line giving, chapter members garnered $1,885 for Women-In-Distress of Broward County and participated in the annual walk-a-thon held at Nova Southeastern University. For “Relay for Life” (American Cancer Society), the chapter garnered $1,090, received the “Rising Star” Award and participated in the walk-a-thon with several local agencies and churches at Joseph Carter Park. Specifically, for Alzheimer’s Association, “The Longest Day”, another one of the six service
Members of Chi Psi Omega Chapter of AKA and partners. impact days for AKA internationally, chapter members garnered $1,110 and participated in disseminating materials regarding this disease affecting African-Americans at an alarming rate. Furthermore, the chapter exceeded its 2014 on-line giving for American Diabetes Association and garnered $2675, the highest amount raised by
clubs and organizations in 2015. Chapter members attended the annual diabetes breakfast, fundraising for teams and participated in the walk-a-thon. The final big on-line giving was NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness), garnering $1,255. NAMI staff presented at the April Chapter meeting, educating members about the
disease and the support that is needed. Members also partici0pated in the local Broward NAMI walk-a-thon at Trade Winds Park. A small donation of on-line giving was recommended by AKA international and supported by chapter members as they donated $8 to their favorite HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). (Cont'd on Page 4)
Page 4 • December 24 - December 30, 2015
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RushCard empowers people to help manage their money
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr
Attention Medicare Part D Members
The financial services industry is a vast matrix of banks, credit and debit cards products, venture capital and mortgage companies, investment firms, and other financial institutions that compete to provide services to 326,346,200 people in the United States and millions more around the world. There is a very old saying that posits: “How you manage your money will determine how well your heart will beat.” For 100.4 million African Americans and Latino Americans combined that spend in access of $2.4 trillion annually as consumers in the U.S. marketplace, the daily and hourly financial management of our money is an important issue. The RushCard, developed by Russell Simmons, is an effective and efficient money management tool potentially for millions of “unbanked” and “underbanked” people throughout the United States. According to a 2014 FDIC report, 22 percent of unbanked households used a pre-paid card, compared with 13 percent of underbanked households. I have always emphasized and promoted greater diversity and inclusion in the financial services industry. But inclusivity also means more than limiting involvement primarily to be only customers or users of financial products and services. We also need more people of color and others to be owners and entrepreneurs in the growing financial services industry. Simmons is a global entrepreneur. I have personally known Russell for more than
Chi Psi Omega Chapter recognizes community (Cont'd from Page 3)
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three decades. He continue to have the highest possible integrity and commitment to help people improve their quality of life. His entrance into the financial services industry was timely and providential. For over the past 10 years the RushCard has steadily emerged as an invaluable money management prepaid debit card for hundreds of thousands of card users across the nation. RushCard is owned by Simmons’ company, UniRush, LLC. Notwithstanding recent computer software glitches that have now been resolved concerning the use of the RushCard, it is my opinion that the RushCard today will be a productive and very useful prepaid debit card to use for each member of your family. Why? First, because the RushCard meets the Visa Clear Prepaid standards for clearly communicated fees and consumer protections. Secondly, if you go to www.RushCard.com you will see a very user friendly online process that explains how you can apply for the prepaid debit card. The mission of the RushCard is publicly affirmed to “Empower our members by providing products and services that enable them to achieve control and realize their personal hopes and financial goals.” Thirdly, the RushCard has been around longer than most prepaid cards and has achieved over the past decade a number of innovative first in the indus-
try to better serve its card users including but not limited to the following: · One of the first prepaid cards to offer Direct Deposit. · One of the first prepaid cards to offer check-writing capabilities to its members. · One of the first prepaid cards to offer cash loading at more than 35,000 MoneyGram® locations, nationwide. · One of the first prepaid cards to offer comprehensive money management tools that make it easier to track balances, create monthly budgets, and analyze spending. There are a wide variety of prepaid debit cards available for people to have an opportunity to select for their personal and family use. My family members use the RushCard because it is user friendly, but importantly we use the RushCard because of Russell Simmons trustworthy leadership in the financial services industry. The Consumer Report recently named the RushCard the fourth highest rated prepaid card used as a substitute for a bank account. Simmons recently stated, “As a thank you for sticking with us and to support your cash needs during the upcoming Holiday season, we’ve declared a Free Holiday Season, meaning from Nov. 1, 2015 to Feb. 29, 2016, you can use your RushCard without incurring any fees from our Fee Schedule. You don’t need to take any extra steps to participate in this special offer. Just pull out your RushCard and use it for all of your holiday needs.” The no-fees for use of the RushCard from now until Feb. 29, 2016 applies to both current and new RushCard holders. Again, we all should strive to get better control over how we manage our money. I have found that using the RushCard does in fact help to manage savings, investments and spending. Financial empowerment will be the result of proper financial management.
Chi Psi Omega Chapter followed standing traditions and supported Sickle Cell Disease Association of Broward County $750; UNCF (United Negro College Fund) $1,650; EAF (Educational Advancement Foundation) $1,825, receiving “Platinum Award” for the fourth consecutive year; South Atlantic Region “Wild About EAF” $330; Nigeria to combat Ebola disease $250; Broward College North Campus TerraCycling partnership in support of the Michelle Lawless Scholarship donating over 2000 items at two cents each, $40; Back to School Health Fair Lauderdale Manors, $200; Urban League of Broward County $435, Broward County Chapter of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) $1,500; South Atlantic Regional Director’s Emerald Endowment, $1,500; Greek Sundays at Mount Hermon AME and Greater Bethel AME Churches $750, local American Tennis Association ad donation, $100; Gamma Zeta Omega AKA 75th Anniversary, $75; Zeta Rho Omega AKA 60th Anniversary, $300; Greater Miami Chapter of Links Incorporated, 60th Diamond Anniversary, $175; 40 Under 40 Legacy Reception, $240; A Plus Foundation, Incorporated for membership, $890 and NAACP nationally as more than half of the members belong to the organization. Moreover, Chi Psi Omega has worked tirelessly to provide inkind donations. Facilitating international program Target I: “One Million Backpacks”, the chapter collaborated to present over 300 backpacks at its regional, leadership and cluster conferences. Broward County Schools Coordinator of Homeless Education Assistance Re-
source Team, Carole Mitchell, accepted 200 backpacks from the annual cluster conference. Facilitating international program Target III: Childhood Hunger, over 650 can goods and non-perishables were presented to Reverend Juana Jordan, Pastor, Harris Chapel United Methodist Church for needy families. The chapter also collaborated with the City of North Lauderdale and provided more than 100 can goods and non-perishables for Ronald McDonald Charities. Additionally, in addressing Target III:, the chapter collaborated with Target I: ASCEND students in a Feeding South Florida project ensuring 34,765 pounds of food and 28,900 meals for needy South Floridians. The chapter furthered its giving by providing snacks to Joseph Carter and Osswald Parks for youths in the after school programs, gently worn uniform school clothing to Lauderdale Manors Resource Center, partnering with the Sheriff of Broward and New Hope Baptist Church for over 700 Grocery Bag Give-A-Ways, honoring and providing meals for 276 veterans at Vet Center in Lauderdale Lakes and partnering with the City of Coral Springs Human Resources Division in celebration of “Denim Day”. Lastly, through its Connection Committee, two forums were held to ensure young adults new their basic rights and privileges. Moreover, the committee partnered with Target I ASCEND students and community volunteers for four adoptastreet cleanups and four voter registrations. Additionally, the Connection Committee attended two “Flakka” seminars to educate themselves for prevention
of the synthetic drugs destroying our communities. Furthermore, the chapter’s works in tandem with its charitable arm, A Plus Foundation, Incorporated to provide scholarships for deserving Broward County High Schools graduating seniors, $12,500; proud sponsor of the City of Coral Springs annual MLK Weekend, $1,000; City of Coral Springs for Monument Marker bearing chapter’s name, $1,000; Children Services Council, $1,000; Dillard Center for the Arts, $500; Lion’s Little League Basketball Team of Lauderhill, $200; Coral Springs Chamber of Commerce; $300; Target I: ASCEND, $1,180; Target IV: Environmental Ownership (Playground Renewal) $830; Greek-lettered organizations’ charitable arms with ads (Ivy Charitable and Educational Foundation, Kappa Alpha Psi Pompano and Kappa Alpha Psi Fort Lauderdale), $550. More importantly, A Plus Foundation garnered grants to assist with the chapter’s programs; MLK Day of Service (Peace Garden at Oriole Elementary), $3,000 in 2015; MLK Day of Service (Health Garden at Rickards Middle), $5000 in 2016; Wells Fargo (ASCEND projects), $1,000 and EAF Grant for outdoor classroom (playground renewal), $5000. Representing agencies in attendance were Christine Co-hen of American Diabetes Association, Riunite Franks of Alzheimer’s Association, Karen Smith of SCDABC, Angelica Susana Minaya of NAMI, Edith Pearson and Roxanna Blissett of UNCF.
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Happenings at African-American Research Library and Cultural Center
· Community Healing is Kwanzaa theme at AARLCC; vendors needed Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Local artist, Nzingah – Sankofa’s Child. Activities being planned for Kwanzaa 2015: Yoga; Gift Making; Healthy Eating; Traditional Dance; Mental Health Panel; Vision Board Workshop; DIY Healing Salve with Jaqs Organics. For more info call (954) 357-6210. · AARLCC Small Business Resource Center presents The Art of Marketing, Monday, Dec. 21, 2015 from 6 to 7 p.m. For additional info call (954) 357-6170.
Multicultural Holiday Celebrations at Broward County Library
-Wednesday, Dec. 23 Winter Holiday Crafts for Teens, 2 to 3 p.m., Carver Ranches Library, 4735 S.W. 18 St., West Park, Fla. For more info call (954) 357-6245 -Saturday, Dec. 26 - Family Kwanzaa Celebration: A Focus on Self-determination (Kujichagulia) - to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., African-American Research Library and Cultural Center, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more info (954) 357-6282
EDUCATION MATTERS Every Child Deserves a Chance to Succeed.
Event
The Diaspora Arts Coalition, in partnership with the Honorable David Williams, Jr., City of Miami Garden Councilman, Seat 5; presents “A Kwanzaa Experience 2015, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015 from 6:30 to 9 p.m., at Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex Auditorium, 3000 N.W. 199 St., Miami Gardens, Fla. For more info call (786) 237-5079.
Happening at the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society Fort Lauderdale Historical Society Bringing History to Life, 2015-2016 Calendar. All exhibits, events and lectures take place at the New River Inn Museum of History, 231 S.W. Second Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For time and additional info call (954) 463-4431 or www.flhc.org info@flhc.org Events * Sunday, Jan. 24 - (Native American History Month) Lecture Series * Monday, Jan. 11 - Governor Broward & His Legacy
Exhibit
January 4 reception for Negro Baseball Leagues Exhibit josted by AARLCC invited free reception, Monday, Jan. 4, 2016 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. A second event is assoicated with this exhibit, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2016 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Broward College coaching staff will hold a Youth Baseball Clinic at Osswald Park, 2220 N.W. 21 Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. For more info call (954) 357-6210.
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Opinion
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Westside Gazette The Westside Gazette, under the Management of BI-ADs, Inc., reserves the right to publish Views and Opinions by Contributing Writers may not necessarily reflect those of the Staff and Management of The Westside Gazette Newspaper and are solely the product of the responsible individual(s) who submit comments published in this newspaper.
Two wars to take seriously in America Written by Phillip L. Wright Ph.D. Unfortunately, America is still ignoring the known facts that it needs to find a solution for the institutionalized racism problem that has now become obvious to the world and spreading. However, America has the means to permanently eliminate the Isis terrorists for good, as well, at the same time. My contention is, if we as Ameri-
cans do not face our own institutionalized racism demons, we could be defeated and fall to all other enemies invading our free Democratic society. Is this what we want to happen? I am sure we do not. Congress and our President Obama should tackle these problems together; admitting what are the known facts as we know them to be. All Americans need and must face the true facts of our institu-
tionalized racism dilemma. In America, Black men, and others, including some Black women, too are facing the danger of possibly being killed by police. Police officers always have reasons disguised as their evidence why they had to use deadly force in a police shooting. What must we do when our American legal system will not play fair for all of it’s’ citizens. However, if this
Terrorism in the U.S. ain’t nothing new By A. Peter Bailey (TriceEdneyWire.com) - Anyone following most news coverage in the press on the “war on terrorism” would probably believe journalists when they speak or write such statements as “Terrorism is coming to America.” The impression given is that this is something unprecedented on the American scene. Their coverage led me to check out the definition of “terrorism” in Webster’s World College Dictionary. Terrorism is defined as “the act of ter-
rorizing; use of force on others to demoralize, intimidate and subjugate.” By that definition, the white supremacists/racists who lynched more than 3,000 Black folks in the early 20th century were terrorists. Those who killed numerous Black soldiers after their return from World War I were terrorists. As were those who bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., killing 11-14-year-old Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, Addie Mae Collins, and Denise McNair; and who killed 15year old Virgil Ware on that same day were terrorists. The white man who assassinated Medgar Evers was a terrorist. So were the white men who killed James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, Sammy Younge and Viola Gregg Liuzzo. Those whites who brutalized warriors such as Fannie Lou Hamer and who set fire to many
Black churches and homes throughout the former Confederate States of America were also terrorists. And the white man who shot and killed nine Black people in a Charleston church is a terrorist. The people who supported those atrocities were supporters of terrorism. Federal and state officials did little, if anything, to punish the terrorists. Thus, they were enablers of terrorism. It’s clear that terrorism is not coming to America for the first time. It has deep, deep roots in this country, something that is more often than not ignored by journalists and academicians who fail to call it by its rightful name. Many of those who harshly criticize President Obama for not using the term “radical Islamic terrorists” don’t now, nor did they ever use the term “radical white supremacist/racist terrorists.”
Eloquence and Arrogance The Supreme Court runs By Julianne Malveaux away from race (TriceEdneyWire.com) - On the same day that President Barack Obama gave a stirring and historically grounded commemoration regarding the 150th anniversary of the passage of the 13th Amendment, the one that “abolished” slavery, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia chose to disregard tenets of equality and opportunity from the bench during the hearing for Fisher v. University of Texas when he suggested that African American students would benefit more if they went to “lesser track” schools. His verbatim comments: “There are those who contend that it does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas, where they do not do well—as opposed to having them go to a less advanced school, a slower-track school where they do well,” Scalia said. “One of the briefs pointed out that most of the Black scientists in this country don’t come from schools like the University of Texas. They come from lesser schools where they do not feel that they’re being pushed ahead in classes that are too fast for them.” What does Justice Scalia mean by “lesser schools”? Does he suggest that the African Americans, most at the top 10 percent of their high school class (as required by Texas law) can’t compete with their peers, similarly situated students at the top of their classes? Abigail Fisher, who is bringing this lawsuit, was deficient, and judged as so. She was not in the top 10 percent at her Texas high school; according to the Top Ten Percent Plan, any graduating senior in the top 10 percent of their graduating class receives admission to the University of Texas at Austin. More than three quarters of the slots at the University of Texas-Austin are reserved for that group of students – the best and the brightest of their high schools. What about Fisher? She didn’t make the cut. A middling student, she had not enough redeeming social value to be considered among the 8 percent whose admission is a function of the Personal Achievement Index (PAI) and Academic Index (AI). (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GUIDELINES The Westside Gazette welcomes your letters. Letters must be signed with name clearly legible along with a phone number and complete address. No unsigned or anonymous letters will be considered for publication. The Westside Gazette reserves the right to edit letters. The letters should be 500 words or less.
By George E. Curry, George Curry Media Columnist The United States Supreme Court has always been reluctant to take on the issue of race with any sensitivity toward Blacks. In its famous Dred Scott decision, Justice Roger B. Taney, writing for the majority in 1857, said Blacks, had been “regarded as beings of an inferior order and altogether unfit to associate with the white race, either in social or political relations; and so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect; and that the Negro might justly and lawfully be reduced to slavery for his benefit.” That decision was not reversed until 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education. Today, the Supreme Court is not as blatantly racist as it was in the 1850s, but has essentially decided that in order to address the question of race, an institution must first try to find solutions that ignore race. Nowhere is that clearer than in its handling of affirmative action, including the pending case against the University of Texas. In its 1978 Bakke ruling, the court outlawed an affirmative action program at the University of CaliforniaDavis Medical School that reserved 16 of 100 seats for members of certain minority groups. Again in 2003, the court struck down a University of Michigan undergraduate program. In Gratz v. Bollinger, the court rejected an affirmative action program that provided a 20-point bonus to underrepresented ethnic groups, including Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans. The university used a 150-point scale, with 100 points needed to gain admission. However, the court upheld the university’s law school affirmative action program that considered race and ethnicity along with other factors. In sending Fisher back to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for additional review, the Supreme Court said, “On this point, the courts below were correct in finding that Grutter calls for deference to the University’s experience and expertise about its educational mission. However, once the University has established that its goal of diversity is consistent with strict scrutiny, the University must prove that the means it chose to attain that diversity are narrowly tailored to its goal. “...The reviewing court must ultimately be satisfied that no workable race-neutral alternatives would produce the educational benefits of diversity [my emphasis].” (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
cannot be resolved by the American law makers, law enforcers, and our American citizens and others around the world, we shall surely fall due to institutionalized greed and with institutionalized racism, and America will no longer stand as the greatest nation in the world. gspinc2006@att.net
America displays its true colors By Oscar H. Blayton, George Curry, Media Columnist Team America is displaying its true colors these days. Hate speech and crazed behavior are being displayed by conservatives more and more each day, and those who self-identify as moderates and progressives are doing very little about it. To the rest of the world, “American exceptionalism” is coming to mean exceptional intolerance and bigotry. “Team America” is becoming synonymous with “Team Bigotry.” When the longest-sitting Justice who currently sits on the Supreme Court expresses a belief from the bench that African Americans probably do not belong at top-ranked universities, a little pennant for Team Bigotry is waved in the air. It would not be so disturbing if Antonin Scalia were some inconsequential bigot sitting in his den and grumbling his white supremacy beliefs into his beer. But Scalia is an individual who sets policy on a national level. He is a bigot who gets to determine whether other bigots are acting legally or not. He is a bigot who gets to interpret the rights of African Americans and other people of color; and those interpretations have the force of law. Justice Scalia has never made much of an effort to disguise his lack of respect for people of color - this despite the constant (though silent) presence of his colleague, Justice Clarence Thomas, seated at his right hand on the bench. But now, the current culture in America that displays its hatred of, and disrespect for, people of color has given him license to voice racist views from the highest court in the land. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
Can Black America’s middle class be saved? By Lee A. Daniels, George Curry Media Columnist I don’t mean the small class of wealthy Black Americans or Black upper-middle class Americans who earn hefty salaries and whose networth runs into the millions of dollars. In today’s more open American society, they’ll do fine economically. I mean that considerable number of Blacks who earn five-figure to low six-figure salaries and whose wealth consists almost completely of the value of the home they own. Will they survive? And if many of them don’t, what will that mean for Black America as a whole? That question has been hanging like a thundercloud over the American horizon ever since the recession of 2001 undermined a bright promise of the prosperity the country enjoyed during the 1990s: that significant numbers of Black Americans were finally gaining a secure foothold in the middle class. Blacks as a group never recovered from that recession, and the subprime housing crisis and the Great Recession that gripped the country just before President Obama won the White House, made matters much, much worse. That was so for many, many Americans, of course - in part because the fierce economic shock intensified the dynamic of income inequality that had been shadowing the economy for decades. The title of a new study the Pew Research Center released this month makes the larger point in stark terms - “The American Middle Class Is Losing Ground: No longer the majority and falling behind financially” it declares. If the American middle class as a whole is losing ground, the Black American middle class as a whole must be standing on the edge of a cliff - with a gale wind blowing. The report’s data and statistics from other sources confirm that notion’s validity. (Using a three-person household as the standard, the study defines the middle-income range as stretching from $42,000 to $126,000 annually, with lower-income and upper-income households below and above that range, respectively.) It found in general terms that for the first time in nearly a half-century middle-income Americans no longer comprise the majority of the population. Instead, they now comprise 49.9 percent of the three broad income groups. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
To Be Equal
Corporate Mergers: Good or bad for diversity? By Marc H. Morial (TriceEdneyWire.com) - “Our workforce and our entire economy are strongest when we embrace diversity to its fullest, and that means opening doors of opportunity to everyone and recognizing that the American Dream excludes no one.” – U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez The issue of diversity with respect to corporate mergers usually is discussed as a potential drawback – the clash between cultures is sometimes cited as a reason such mergers fail. Often, however, such mergers present an opportunity to expand ethnic and cultural diversity in the workplace and create economic opportunity. The recently-approved merger of AT&T and DirecTV requires the merged company to make available an affordable, low-priced standalone broadband service to low-income consumers in its broadband service aria. Furthermore, due to the strong advocacy of the National Urban League and other civil rights organizations, the merger extended AT&T’s diversity strategic plan to DirecTV’s hiring, procurement, programming and philanthropy. Similarly, we worked with NBC Universal and Comcast on a groundbreaking memorandum of understanding to insure that the 2011 merger would provide for a variety of diversity initiatives, including establishing a $20 million venture capital fund boosting opportunities for minority entrepreneurs in digital media, eight new independently owned and operated networks offering substantial participation by minorities, the creation of Diversity Advisory Councils, and the increase of minority part-icipation in news, public affairs programming and jobs. There is, of course, the danger that a merger could work in the oppo-site
direction. If the merger between pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Allergan is completed, the merged com-pany will be headquarter in – and pay its taxes to – Ireland. The deal allows Pfizer to take advantage of Ireland’s tax rates while skirting U.S. rules aimed at curtailing tax inversions. Will the loss of corporate tax revenue exacerbate income inequality in the United States or will it, as Pfizer’s CEO insists, allow the company to create more jobs in the United States? As the merger would create the world’s largest drug manufacture, assurances on diversity – not just in hiring and procurement, but in research and development – could not be more vital and essential. While Pfizer has provided some transparency about its employment diversity, supplier diversity track record and C-suite diversity, less is known about Allergan and very little is known or understood about which companies practices will survive once Pfizer becomes an Irish company. The pending merger of The Dow Chemical Company and DuPont USA poses similar questions. Both Dow and DuPont have established effective diversity and inclusion policies, but unless a retention or expansion of those policies is a specific condition of the merger, it could represent a step backward. In the rush to satisfy activist shareholders, the diversity policies that made these companies strong in the first place must not be overlooked or diminished. The National Urban League believes that diversity is in the public interest and a compelling 21st Century necessity. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
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AF amily T hat Prays T ogether, Stays T ogether Family That Together, Together
Church Directory
Worship T his and Every Sunday at the Church of Your Choice This
Bethel Missionary Baptist Church 2211 N.W. 7th Street, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33061 Church: (954) 583-9368 Email: bethelmbchurchfl@att.net
Reverend Jimmy L. English PASTOR WORSHIP SERVICES Sunday Worship ............................................................. 8 a.m. & 11 a.m. Sunday School ........................................................................... 9:30 a.m. Wednesday (Prayer Service & Bible Study) ............................... 7:30 a.m. Saturday (Women Bible Study) ............................................................ 8 a.m. "Baptized Believers working together to do the will of God"
Westside Gazette New Mount Olive Baptist Church 400 N.W. 9th Ave., Ft. Lauderdale 33311 (954) 463-5126 ● Fax: (954) 525-9454 CHURCH OFFICE HOURS Monday - Friday 8:00 - 4:00 p.m.
WORSHIP SERVICES & BIBLE STUDY Sunday .................................................... 7:15 a.m. 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. Sunday School ............................................................................ 10:00 a.m. Wednesday Noonday Service .................................. 12:00-12:30 p.m. Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting ............................................ 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Night Bible Study ................................................... 7:00 p.m. Where the kingdom of God is increased through Fellowship. Leadership, Ownership and Worship F.L.O.W. To Greatness!
St Paul United Methodist Church 244 S.E. Second Avenue Deerfield Beach, Florida 33341 (954) 427-9407 EMAIL EMAIL:: Stpaulmeth@bellsouth.net WEBSITE WEBSITE:: saintpauldeerfield.com
Rev. Dr. Jimmie L. Brown Senior Pastor
SERVICES
Sunday School .................................................................................... 10 a.m. Sunday Worship ................................................................................ 11 a.m. Bible Study (Tuesday) ....................................................... 11 a.m. & 7.p.m.
WEEKLY SERVICES & EVENTS SUNDAY
Obituaries
Worship Service (Communion 1st & 3rd Sunday) ........................................................... 10 a.m. F.A.I.T.H. Academy for Children (Spiritual Formation) K-12 ................................ 10 a.m.
TUESDAY F.A.I.T.H. Academy for Adults (Spiritual Formation) - Office Complex ...... 10:30 a.m.
WEDNESDAY Worship & Arts Ministry Rehearsals (Open Auditions) - Sanctuary .............................. 7 p.m.
First Baptist Church Piney Grove, Inc. 4699 West Oakland Park Blvd. Lauderdale Lakes, FL 33313 Office: (954) 735-1500 Fax: (954) 735-1939 fbcpg@bellsouth.net
Rev. Dr. Derrick J. Hughes, Pastor SUNDAY SERVICES Worship Services .......................................................... 7:30 & 10:45 a.m. Children's Church ........................................................ 7:30 & 10:45 a.m. Communion (First Sunday) ......................................... 7:30 & 10:45 a.m. New Members' Class .................................................................... 9:30 a.m. Church School .............................................................................. 9:30 a.m. Baptist Training Union (BTU) .................................................... 1:00 p.m. Wednesday (Bible Study) ...................................... 11:15 a.m.. & 7:00 p.m.
Harris Chapel United Methodist Church Rev. Juana Jordan, M.Div E-MAIL:juana.jordan@flumc.org 2351 N.W. 26th Street Oakland Park, Florida 33311 Church Telephone: (954) 731-0520 Church Fax: (954) 731-6290
SERVICES Sunday Worship ................................................. 7:30 a.m. & 10:30 a.m. Sunday School .............................................................................. 9:00 a.m. Wednesday (Bible Study) ........................................... 11a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Mount Calvary Baptist Church
800 N.W. 8th Avenue Pompano Beach, Florida 33060 Church Telephone: (954) 943-2422 Church Fax: (954) 943-2186 E-mail Address: Mtcalvarypompano@bellsouth.net
Reverend Anthony Burrell, Pastor SCHEDULE OF SERVICES SUNDAY
New Member Orientation ........................... 9:30 a.m. Sunday School ................................................ 9:30 a.m. Worship Service ........................................ 11:00 a.m. WEDNESDAY Prayer Meeting ............................................... 6:00 p.m. Bible Study ..................................................... 7:00 p.m.
"Doing God's Business God's Way, With a Spirit of Excellence"
Mount Hermon A.M.E. Church Reverend Henry E. Green, Jr., Pastor 401 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311 Phone: (954) 463-6309 FAX 954 522-4113 Office Hours: Tuesday - Friday 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Email infor@mthermonftl.com
SUNDAY CHURCH SERVICES Worship Service ..................................................................... 7:30 & 10:30 a.m. Fifth Sunday ONLY .................................................................................... 10 a.m. Church School ........................................................................................ 9:15 a.m. BIBLE STUDY: Wednesday ....................................................................... 10 a.m. Gems & Jewels Ministry Senior Wednesday Wednesday (Bible Study) .................................................... 12 Noon & 7 - 8 p.m. Daily Prayer Line ...................................................................................... 6 a.m. (712)432-1500 Access Code296233#
Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church 1161 NW 29th Terr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33311 (954) 581-0455 ● Fax: (954) 581-4350 www.mtzionmissionarybapt.com
Dr. James B. Darling, Jr., Pastor/Teacher WORSHIP SERVICES Sunday Worship Service .............................................................................. 8:00 & 11:00 a.m. Sunday School ............................................................................................................... 10:00 a.m. Communion Service (1st Sunday) ......................................................................... 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting ........................................................................... 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Night Bible Study ................................................................................... 7:00 p.m. Saturday (2nd & 4th) Christian Growth & Orientation .................................. 8:30 a.m. But be doers of the Word - James 1:22 nkjv - “A Safe Haven, and you can get to Heaven from here”
New Birth Baptist Church The Cathedral of Faith International Bishop Victor T. Curry, M.Min., D.Div. Senior Pastor/Teacher 2300 N.W. 135th Street Miami, Florida 33167
ORDER OF SERVICES Sunday Worship ........................................................ 7:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m. & 7:00 p.m. Sunday School ....................................................................................................... 9:30 a.m. Tuesday (Bible Study) ......................................................................................... 6:45 p.m. Wednesday (Bible Study) ............................................................................... 10:45 a.m.
1-800-254-NBBC * (305) 685-3700 (o) *(305) 685-0705 (f) www.newbirthbaptistmiami.org
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE FAMILY OF THE WESTSIDE GAZETTE
145 NW 5th Ave., Dania Beach, FL 33004 (954) 922-2529
Senior Pastor
6201 NW 57 Street Tamarac, FL 33319 954-721-1232 uccfaith@bellsouth.net faithbroward.org
Rev. Dr. Ileana Bosenbark, Senior Pastor
St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church
Dr. Marcus D. Davidson,
Faith United Church of Christ
"Historically the First Church in the City of Tamarac!”
December 24 - December 30, 2015 • Page 7
James C. Boyd Funeral Home GRAHAM Funeral services for the late Odessa Graham – 65 were held Dec. 17 at Apostle Faith Church of Jesus, Inc with Elder Bennie Harris officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens. THOMAS Funeral services for the late Jim Thomas – 56. YOUNG Funeral services for the late Josephine Agatha Young – 75 were held Dec. 19 at James C. Boyd’s Memorial Chapel with Brother Bon M. Boyd officiating. Interment: Westview Cemetery.
McWhite's Funeral Home CLARKE Funeral services for the late Shuronda Nicole Clarke 35 were held Dec. 19 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel with Bishop Orr of-ficiating. DOCELIAN Funeral services for the late Slender Docelian – 2years-old were held Dec. 19 at Berean Baptist Church with Rev. Roosevelt Presume officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.
ERRAR Funeral services for the late Tashna Errar – 39 were held Dec. 19 at Berean Church of God. Interment: Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Central. KELLY Funeral services for the late Jerome Govan Kelly, Jr. were held Dec. 19 at McWhite’s Funeral Home Chapel with Timothy J. Jackson officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens. ROBERTSON Funeral services for the late Delphine “Kelly” Robertson – 69 were held Dec. 19 at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church with Pastor Ricky Scott officiating. Interment: Sunset Memorial Gardens.
Roy Mizell & Kurtz Funeral Home HAYNES Funeral services for the late Patricia Ann Haynes – 56 were held Dec. 19 at Roy Mizell & Kurtz Worship Center with Pastor James B. Darling officiating. Interment: Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens – Central. WILLIAMS Funeral services for the late Millicent Williams 86 were held Dec. 19 at Plantation United Methodist
WORSHIP SERVICES Wednesday (NOON DAY PRAYER) ............................................. 12 -1 p.m. Wednesday (PRAYER MEETING & BIBLE STUDY) .................... 645 p.m. Sunday Worship Service ................................................................. 10 a.m. Fifth Sunday Worhip Service ............................................................ 8 a.m.
Williams Memorial CME “PRAYER IS THE ANSWER” 644-646 NW 13th Terrace Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 (954) 462-5711(Ministry Office Line) (954) 462-8222(Pastor’s Direct Line) Email: wm_cme@bellsouth.net (Church} pastorCal50@yahoo.com (Pastor)
Rev. Cal Hopkins. M.Div) Senior Pastor/Teacher
The WITNESS of “The WILL” Sunday Worship Experiences ................................................................ 7:45 and 11:00 a.m. Sunday School ................................................................................................................. 9:30 a.m. Tuesday Night Triumph {Prayer, Praise and Power} Prayer Meeting ................................................................................................................ 7:00 p.m. Bible Study ........................................................................................................................ 7:30 p.m. We STRIVE to PROVIDE Ministries that matter TODAY to Whole Body of Christ, not only the Believers, but also for those stranded on the “Jericho Road”! “Celebrating over 85 Years of FAITH and FAVOR! Come to the WILL ... We’ll show You the WAY: Jesus the Christ!”
KIDS TALK ABOUT GOD
What gifts would you bring to Jesus? By Carey Kinsolving and friends Wise men from the East brought baby Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. What gifts would you have brought? “I would give Jesus a lot of money, a big sheep and a balloon that reads, ‘It’s a boy!’” says Perry, age 11. Perry, I don’t know about balloons, but I suspect there were more than a few trumpets blown in heaven when Jesus was born. At least one angel couldn’t contain his joy. “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people,” the angel announced to some shepherds. “If I had been one of the wise men, I would have brought a pillow and blanket because Jesus might have been cold,” says Jordan, 6. The wonder of Christmas lies in the humility of the savior’s birth. An unsanitary barn would not be the first choice of any mother bringing her child into the world. Jesus, the Lord of the universe, had to stoop very low to enter our world through this door. Is God telling us something more than the fact that there was no room for Joseph and Mary in the inn? God goes where he is wanted. “You will see it all through Scripture,” writes Pastor Joe McKeever. “‘When you enter a city,’ Jesus told his disciples, ‘whoever does not receive you or heed your words, shake the dust off your feet.’ They were not to give God’s truth to the hostile or disrespectful. “Tell me if this is not the most amazing picture in the Bible — Jesus Christ, the son of God, humbly asking us to receive him. He does not force himself on anyone but goes into homes and hearts where he is made welcome.” “I would bring him a friend because friends are fun to play with,” says Laurie, 7. Jesus loved friends. He often ate with people whom the religious leaders shunned. He became known as the “friend of sinners.” “I would have brought a dog to Jesus because he needed protection,” says Hunter, 6. Baby Jesus did need protection. King Herod wanted to be sure that any rival kings were dead (even baby ones). So he told the wise men to tell him where they found Jesus. In a dream, God warned the wise men, and they secretly went home without telling Herod. When Herod discovered he had been tricked, he went ballistic. In his frustration, he ordered all the children in Bethlehem who were 2 years or younger to be killed. An angel, however, warned Joseph and Mary to flee to Egypt with baby Jesus. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com) Church with Pastors Connor and Kirkland officiating. Interment: Forest Lawn Memorial Gardens Central.
Page 8 • December 24 - December 30, 2015
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Its Christmas time! And soon to be Kwanza. Then New Years! It’s time to celebrate and share gifts. We give to our families and friends. Many of us have already made a gift to nonprofits we hold closest to our hearts. But, there’s always time for more giving. Here’s a holiday gift idea that can extend into the new year: Give a non-financial gift. Here’s what we mean. First, let us be clear: non-profits cannot operate without money. That is a fact. But, we also know there are many other things nonprofits need, and you just might be the right person to fill that need. Think about it this way: nonprofits are busy delivering on their mission and vision. Each also has to raise money, market their organization, and take care of business operations such as human resources, accounting, and facilities. They have a lot to focus on. Your non-financial gift can make a big difference. If you are an attorney, you can donate legal services. If you are an accountant, you can review your favorite nonprofit’s bookkeeping processes and help update if needed. Computer professionals can conduct a technology assessment, and – if you want to “double your giving” – you could invite others to provide some of the products or services that might be needed to help the nonprofit increase its efficiency or, in some cases, get up-to-date. There’s something for everyone to offer: basic maintenance, repairs or painting can make a big difference for a nonprofit that has been deferring property maintenance. A team of two administrative specialists could install new office systems and organize those never-ending piles of paper in an afternoon or weekend. Marketing is a need for most nonprofits, and something that few can afford. If you have marketing-related skills you could make a meaningful impact on a nonprofit. If you have a circle of
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Westside Gazette
December 24 - December 30, 2015 • Page 9
Miami Dolphins: The day Danny Woodhead transformed into Jerry Rice Miami Heat: Why you should slow down with Hassan Whiteside expectations By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau When it comes to the Miami Dolphins there is so much that could be said about this team that it’ll take an entire book to understand this franchise. It’s difficult to say that the losses don’t hurt on Sunday because they do. It’s also difficult to say that this team will be better next season because that’s a sentence that we (us fans) throw around before the beginning of every season only to get ultimately disappointed by the end of the season. The Dolphins have been the child in the Miami family that will not get it together no matter how much you love them. No matter how much you pray over this team it seems like they’re always the prey and never the hunter and ultimately that’s the problem that lies with this team. Maybe we need to continue to have faith in this franchise, or maybe it’s time that the entire team finally held a fire sale and started to start from the bottom once again. Either way, Sunday’s 30-14 road loss to the San Diego Chargers was not pretty. “The effort wasn’t the problem,” interim head coach Dan Campbell said. “It was the details today. It was the lack of discipline and details, which is one of the things we talked about. It just didn’t show up.” *You know things are going bad this season when Reshad Jones gets an interception, runs it back for nearly 40 yards and then fumbles it back to the opponent.* Additionally, anytime 5’9 Danny Woodhead looks like he’s the reincarnation of Odell Beckham Jr., then there’s a problem. Woodhead oddly enough was being covered by linebackers and he had his way because of his elusiveness and quickness. Woodhead ended up finishing with one of the games of his life as he had six catches for 50 yards and three touchdown scores. For good measure,
Woodhead also had eight carries for 10 yards and another touchdown score because why not? Maybe only getting touchdown receptions were too easy. This game was proportionately ugly as San Diego rolled Miami. San Diego scored 23 unanswered points and was working on winning the game with a shutout. That was until Miami waited until 1:32 left in the third quarter to finally put some points on the board. What hurts most about this loss is that Miami ended up getting rolled by a 3-10 team who recently lost eight of its last previous nine games. To make matters worse, this could potentially be the last game that the Chargers play in San Diego. Miami was the going away game for the San Diego faithful and they loved every second of their dismantling of Miami. What was odd to see was the lack of a rushing game. Last week, we detailed how Miami’s a better team when they put the football in Lamar Miller’s hands. On the year, Miami is 50 when Miller has at least 13 carries or more. In contrast, they are 0-9 when Miller has less than 13 carries. This game Miller had only nine carries and Miami got trounced on the road. “We just could never establish the run game and it affected everything else that we did,” said Campbell. “We couldn’t stop them, we couldn’t
Miami Hurricanes: Why Jim Larranaga could win ACC coach of the year By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau There aren’t many more things on the earth or in life in
LEGAL NOTICES PUBLICATION OF BID SOLICITATIONS Broward County Board of County Commissioners is soliciting bids for a variety of goods and services, construction and architectural/engineering services. Interested bidders are requested to view and download the notifications of bid documents via the Broward County Purchasing website at: www.broward.org/purchasing. Dec. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015 IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA CASE NO: FMCE 15-13154 DIVISION: 33 ORRETTE SHAWN FLOWERS, Petitioner and LORI-ANN DACOSTA, Respondent
NOTICE OF ACTION FOR DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE (NO CHILD OR FINANCIAL SUPPORT) TO: LORI-ANN DACOSTA Respondent's last known address 6613 Pebble Beach, North Lauderdale, FL 33068 YOU ARE NOTIFIED that an action for dissolution of marriage has been filed against you and you are required to serve a copy of your written defenses, if any, to it on Orrette Shaen Flowers whose address is 6613 Pebble Beach North Lauderdale, FL 33068 on or before January14, 2016 and file the original with the clerk of this Court at 201 Southeast Sixth St., Fort Lauderdale, Floirda 33301 before service on Petitioner or immediately thereafter. If you fail to do so, a default may be entered against you for the relief demanded in the petition. Dated November 30, 2015 HOWARD C. FORMAN As Clerk of the Circuit Court Edna Edmond, Deputy Clerk Dec. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 2015
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general that are better for you than dancing. Dancing is so therapeutic and it has many health benefits including keeping the heart pumping blood and giving you oxygen to the brain. Do you want to know what makes Miami Hurricanes head basketball coach Jim Larranaga so good? We’ll make it even easier for you too, it has nothing to do with basketball. Simply it’s because coach Larranaga knows how to do the Whip and Nae Nae. This season coach Larranaga pulled out the dance moves after a big 66-55 win over archrival Florida. Now Florida has been struggling this season because of the departure of their former beloved head coach Billy Donovan who’s now the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the win over Florida doesn’t diminish their accomplishment. This year the fact that Miami’s big win over Florida only solidifies the fact basketball in South Florida is at a level that it’s only been at one time before when Larranaga won the ACC in 2013. In 2013, Larranaga led Miami to a 29-7 record overall and a 15-3 record within the conference. That team also managed to get to the NCAA Tournament where they lost in the Sweet Sixteen. Miami this season has a 9-1 record and they are ranked No. 15 in the country. Meanwhile, Larranaga’s hard work at the school is looking like it’s finally paying off. Not only does it look like he could and should win the Coach of the Year in the ACC, he also became the fastest coach to 100 wins in school history. “If you’ve got good players, you’ll have a good team,” said Larranaga. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
stay on the field on offense and it cost us.” The good part about the game is that their are only two games left and then we get to relax from the Dolphins for a bit.
By D’Joumbarey A. Moreau
(Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
There has only been one person that scored 100 points
in a single NBA game. In NBA history, that same person who scored 100 points in a game is also the only person to average 50 points and 20 rebounds for an entire season. In 1962, the great Wilt Chamberlain became the only person to ever accomplish that feat for a season and to this day, his name gets mentioned when people speak about the greatest basketball players to ever live. Now, at 26-years-old and only playing in his 93rd game as a professional NBA player, Miami Heat center Hassan Whiteside is expected to put up the same numbers as Chamberlain, and fans need to dial back their expectations quickly. Are we expecting a little too much from Whiteside when he’s still just a young player? Whiteside might not be Cha-
mberlain, but he’s the closest reincarnation of Alonzo Mourning that the Heat have had in a decade. Chamberlain was a once in a generation type of player like the same way that Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan are as well. For some reason, the expectations throughout the city have been insane when it comes to Whiteside and we need to keep it in perspective. The biggest reason why everyone has seemed like they’ve changed their opinion about Whiteside is because of his fourth quarter production. The minutes in the fourth quarter have come sparingly this season since Whiteside isn’t a great free-throw shooter. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
Page 10 • December 24 - December 30, 2015
www.thewestsidegazette.com Westside Gazette Black male entrepreneurs make strategic deposit in Black-owned Bank
Front row, l to r: Andre R. Rogers, CFO, Enlightened, Inc.; Antwanye E. Ford, CEO, Enlightened, Inc.; Ron Busby, president, U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.; Doyle Mitchell, CEO, Industrial Bank; Colonel Jim Paige (RET), executive director, Pioneers In Education Alliance; Randall Keith Benjamin II, co-founder, BME Institute; and Howard R. Jean, co-founder, BME Institute with members of the 2015 Class of BME Institute Participants. (Photo: Ashlei Sutton) By Hazel Trice Edney (TriceEdneyWire.com) - In a strategic effort to continue the movement of “Black-onBlack economics” - circulating dollars in the Black community to every extent possible - a group of Black male entrepreneurs led by the U.S. Black Chambers Inc. (USBC) has opened accounts with the D.C.-based Black-owned Industrial Bank. “In order for there to be a strong Black America, you must have strong Black businesses. In order for there to be strong Black businesses, we must have strong Black banks. So, from my standpoint, this is just a reciprocation for what Industrial Bank has done for our communities for the last 80 years,” said USBC CEO Ron Busby, Sr. “There’s a trillion dollars of
spending power in our community and we want to make sure that dollar stays within our community. Twenty-eight days a dollar stays in the Asian community, 21 days a dollar stays in the Hispanic community. In our community, our dollar leaves within six hours. We have got to change that...Until we have total control of how we circulate our money, our power and respect will continue to be marginalized.” The 15 young men who gathered in the lobby of the historic Industrial Bank are members of the Black Male Entrepreneurship Institute (BMEI), which is in partnership with the USBC. The meeting took on a celebratory mode as Industrial President/CEO Doyle Mitchell congratulated Busby for his influence.
Our Christmas wish for all is PEACE that surpasses all understanding (Cont'd from FP) We pray for Courage to do what is right in the face of adversity and in the still of self-aloneness. When there is no one around, you must have the audacity to do what is good and wholesome and that which is directed from God. Enjoy all good things because; “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” James 1:17 In doing so we will be powerful, delighted and will rejoice, no longer being enslaved by fear. God is in all things. With PEACE we can understand through wisdom that we have been rescued and saved and that all things against us have been destroyed by the conflagration of His power. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (KJV) A never-ending power with PEACE that will last forever, His rule is with truthfulness and impartiality. The LORD omnipotent will construct with certainty that every part of His Will is finished. Finally, brethren, rejoice, be made complete, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11 Merry Christmas and may your gift of PEACE be shared with everyone! PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU; MY PEACE I GIVE TO YOU; NOT AS THE WORLD GIVES DO I GIVE TO YOU. DO NOT LET YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED, NOR LET IT BE FEARFUL. John 14:27
“I’m just humbled at the presence of mind that you have displayed since you first came to town and started taking a leadership role with the Chamber of Commerce and came to Industrial Bank and made a $5,000 deposit. You put your money where your mouth is,” said Mitchell. “Our only solution for us to get out of the situation that we are in as Black people is Black on Black economics. I love and appreciate the way you have taken that forward with this effort.” Busby recalled that when he made that $5,000 deposit five years ago, he was intentionally choosing Black businesses in every area of his life. Buying a house at the time, he said he made sure he had a Black mortgage company, title company, home inspector, pest control company, and moving company. “Everybody that touched the transaction was a Black firm. The service was superior and the price was right.” Since then, Busby has become a leading advocate for support of Black banks and Blackowned businesses. In that regard, USBC has now launched an ongoing fundraising effort for the BMEI, co-founded by Randall Keith Benjamin, Jr. and Howard R. Jean, who accompanied the young entrepreneurs to the bank. “This is bigger than just a moment or taking pictures. It’s about how can we go out of our way to make sure that our communities are as strong as possible,” said Benjamin. According to Jean, a BMEI reception and launch will take place Jan. 15, 2016. “We know that our community banks are the strongest funder of small businesses, particularly Black businesses in the community,” Jean said. “So this is our campaign, starting here at the Industrial Bank in Washington, DC as we launch nationally with BME to encourage and inspire other entrepreneurs - male and female - of all ages to start banking Black.”
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Authorities are looking for a Ford pickup believed to be driven by wanted teen Ethan Couch and his mom, Tonya Couch. (US Marshals) Authorities are looking for a Ford pickup believed to be driven by wanted teen Ethan Couch and his mom, Tonya Couch. (US Marshals) Wanted teen Ethan Couch and his mother may be traveling together in her pickup truck, Tarrant County authorities said Monday at a news conference on the nationwide manhunt. Investigators are sifting through “hundreds and hundreds” of leads — including flight, credit card and cell phone records — as they search for Couch, 18, and his mom, Tonya Couch, 48. The teen has been wanted since Dec. 11, after he missed his probation meeting, authorities said. Couch’s notorious “affluenza” defense in 2013 spared him jail time for killing four innocent bystanders in a drunk-driving crash. Another victim, a teenager, was left severely brain damaged and paralyzed. Former District Judge Jean Boyd sentenced Couch to probation — a “miscarriage of justice” that continues to enrage many in Tarrant County, said Sheriff Dee Anderson. “He continues to believe the law doesn’t apply to him, which is how he was raised,” said Anderson, who was visibly angry at a news conference Monday. “If he has enough money, he can get out of it.”
FAMU names new Dean (Cont'd from FP) “I’d also like to extend my gratitude to Interim Dean Patricia Green-Powell for her dedication and service to the FAMU community.” Taylor earned her bachelor’s degree in special education from Coppin State College, and her master’s and Doctor of Philosophy degrees at the University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign.
Labor of love: Family inproves lives (Cont'd from FP) “It’s all inclusive,” Mrs. Mines said. “You can mess up, you can miss the words or you don’t have to know the words at all. The audience will know what you’re doing and everybody gets a standing ovation. “You get to see people display their different abilities,” she added, “and it also helps encourage other parents to see that if they have kids with disabilities, that doesn’t mean they’re limited in their ability to perform their talents.” Jordan Ohree, an 18-yearold autistic youth who graduated last year from Varina High School, will serve as master of ceremonies at the service. He also earned intern of the week honors last week through Project Search at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital in Henrico County. Mr. Mines called the showcase event “an awesome thing that allows people with special needs to perform and feel good at the same time.” “It’s important to them for the community to show their support and to let the people that care for them to know that they can be a part of something special like this,” he added. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
December 24 - December 30, 2015 • Page 11 Westside Gazette ‘Affluenza’ teen Ethan Couch and his mom may be traveling Authorities said they’re not prohibited him from drinking in F ord pick up, authorities say Ford pickup, sure the teen and his mom are alcohol, so he wanted to run Anderson said Couch showed no remorse or sympathy the night he killed the victims or afterward. Couch, then 16, who had been drinking at his parents’ second home in Burleson, got behind the wheel with seven people piled into his Ford pickup, authorities said. That night, Couch had a blood alcohol content of 0.24 — three times the legal limit
for an adult — and was driving 70 mph in a 40-mph zone, authorities said. “I said then, we’re not through with Ethan Couch — he’s not the kind of person who rehabilitates, who learns his lesson,” Anderson said. Authorities asked for the public’s help in finding Tonya Couch’s Ford pickup truck. It’s a black 2011 Ford F150 Harley Davidson edition with 23 inch chrome wheels and Texas
license plate BC50945. There’s damage to the pickup — a “crease” on the passenger side panel. Couch’s attorneys, Scott Brown and Reagan Wynn, released a short statement saying they learned that Couch’s probation officer hasn’t been able to reach him or his mother for “the last several days,” prompting the court to call for his detention. The attorneys de-clined further comment.
together, or that she is helping him elude law enforcement. But investigators have a “strong suspicion” that’s the case, Anderson said. Authorities pledged to file criminal charges against anyone proven to have helped Couch elude capture. Anderson said he believes Couch decided to go on the run after a video surfaced online that appeared to show him drinking and playing beer pong. His probation terms
from the potential jail time he faced, Anderson said. Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson said Couch wasn’t allowed to leave the county without asking permission from his probation officer, which he didn’t do. She declined to say whether his passport had been confiscated. (Read full story on www.thewestsidegazette.com)
Page 12 • December 24 - December 30, 2015
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